There is disclosed in the copending, commonly assigned application Ser. No. 742,232, filed June 7, 1985 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,424 an apparatus for repelling fleas from the body of domestic animals, such as dogs and cats. The prior art structure includes a housing containing battery means to energize a low duty cycle relaxation oscillator for gating on an ultrasonic oscillator. Oscillations derived by the ultrasonic oscillator drive an electric-compressional wave transducer. The duty cycle and frequency of the relaxation oscillator and the ultrasonic frequency are arranged to repel fleas from a region irradiated by the ultrasonic compressional waves.
The housing containing the battery, electronic circuitry and transducer is mounted on the animal by a collar strap. The housing is mounted on the collar strap so that the compressional waves derived by a radiating face of the transducer are directed downwardly, toward a surface beneath the animal. The compressional waves are reflected from the surface to the underneath parts of the animal. The compressional wave energy incident on the underneath parts of the animal has sufficient intensity to prevent fleas from climbing onto the animal and to drive fleas on the animal from it. For effective operation it is important for the transducer radiating face to face toward the surface beneath the animal.
The prior art housing contains a pair of fixed appendages extending to opposite sides of a central, main part of the housing. Each of the appendages includes a slot through which the collar extends, whereby the collar has a tendency, in certain instances, to slip about the neck of the animal when the housing and strap are secured to the animal by a buckle on the strap. In certain instances, the housing slips around the neck of the animal to such an extent that the compressional wave energy emitted by the transducer is not incident on the surface beneath the vicinity of the animal. Thereby, the intensity of the compressional wave radiant energy incident on the underneath parts of the animal is severely reduced and, in some instances, does not enable the fleas to be repelled from the animal.
Another problem that has been from time to time encountered with the prior art electronic flea repelling collar is that the housing gets hung up on obstacles, to cause the animal carrying the collar to be trapped. The problem is particularly applicable to small dogs and cats in which the housing extends beyond the perimeter of the neck of the animal. It can result in entrapment for prolonged durations, until the animal can be located and released.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved arrangement for mounting a housing containing a pulsed ultrasonic frequency compressional wave flea repelling structure on a collar strap adapted to be placed around the neck of an animal to be protected from fleas in such a manner that the housing remains in situ on the animal neck at the location where it was originally placed by an installer.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved structure for mounting a housing for a compressional wave source that repels fleas from the vicinity of an animal being protected, wherein the housing is mounted on the animal at a fixed position that is not easily changed to enable the compressional wave energy to be reflected from the ground beneath the animal.
A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved structure for mounting a housing for a compressional wave source that repels fleas from the vicinity of an animal being protected, wherein the housing is mounted on the animal in such a way that the animal can free itself if it becomes entrapped by the housing hanging up on an obstruction.